IDF raids village near Qalqilya in search of weapons

Head of West Bank town of Jayus claims soldiers broke into his home, closed all family members in kitchen. Army says it decided to operate in village following rise in number of stone throwing incidents

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday night arrested 15 wanted Palestinian terror suspects in the West Bank village of Jayus, northeast of the city of Qalqilya.

An army spokesperson said the forces were operating in the town following a rise in the number of incidents involving the throwing of stones at Israeli vehicles recently.

The Palestinians said the soldiers used excessive force against the residents, claiming that that the army imposed a curfew on the village and that dozens of men were assembled at the local school yard.

Mayor Muhammad Taher told Ynet that shortly after 2 am he heard loud knocks on his house door. "I went down to open it, but I didn’t even get close to the door when the soldiers broke it and entered. We were assembled, some 30 people, in the kitchen, and they turned the whole house upside down claiming they were looking for weapons."

The village head said the troops knew he had served as an officer in the Palestinian police. "They told me, 'We know you're an officer,' and I replied, 'Perhaps this is the reason you want to humiliate us.' They insisted that there had to be weapons in the house because I was a former police officer."

The Jayus residents said the soldiers had raided dozens of homes. Palestinian Authority officials said in response that such moves served to increase the hostility between the sides and harmed the trust being built between the two sides in the West Bank.